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New Website and Blog

2011-07-01T01:42:12Z

From now on go to:

www.brucehennigan.com

Who do you trust?

2011-06-28T15:07:06Z

Rebecca Luella Miller in a recent post on Speculative Faith (http://www.speculativefaith.com/) talked about building trust in those who read Christian fiction. Here is was my comment:

Trust? Great question.

Who do I trust?

Why am I reading your blog post?

Do I trust you, Rebecca?

If so, then why do I trust you?

First and foremost, I am a brother in Christ. I sense from your writings that you are a Christ follower. That gives us a common ground; a connection that the world cannot begin to understand. I can meet a fellow fan of, let’s say, Disney and find common ground. But, I do not TRUST that person. Just sharing a hobby or an interest does not make a person trustworthy. But, sharing a Savior? That’s totally different. For me, then the first step in establishing trustworthiness in my readers, for instance, is to make sure if they are believers they know I am a follower of Christ.

Now, I am being naive, I know. There are those who claim to be Christ followers but who are, as George Barna labels them (Seven Faith Tribes of America) “casual Christians”. These CCs are fickle and pick and choose that part of Christianity that fits their lifestyle. They are not fully sold out to Christ. They create “boutique” religions with just enough Christianity that it doesn’t require them to alter their lifestyle. How can you “trust” someone like that? What if they decide their relationship with me or you no longer fits their ever shifting view of Christianity and they leave us in a lurch when the fancy strikes them? So, unfortunately, there is a healthy dose of skepticism and cynicism in this process. As a writer, I am particularly prone to paranoia having dealt with rejections and workshop critiques and nasty agents and demanding editors. After all, you can say something bad about me, but don’t say something bad about my kids, er, my manuscript!

For instance, Rebecca, you and I had the same reaction to “Darkness Follows”. Loved reading the book. Couldn’t put it down. But, it was so dark and scary. Why, then, did I finish the book? How did I know to trust Mike Dellosso enough to complete the book even though it made me very uncomfortable. For one thing, Mike is a fellow author for my imprint. I have met the folks at Charisma House when I visited their headquarters and I know they are Christ followers. I know what their loves and their passions are in the publishing arena. If they trust Mike Dellosso’s writing, then I should trust it also. For another thing, I have read Mike’s blog. I was moved by his story of his battle with colon cancer and in that battle I saw a very brave man who had to rely on his family and his God to get him through this ordeal. Never did I sense bitterness or blame on his part for what he was going through at such a young age. Rather, he seemed to glorify God for the victory he has over his disease. That response makes me TRUST Mike Dellosso. And so, in spite of my reservations and in spite of the growing fear I felt as I finished “Darkness Follows” I TRUSTED Mike to be God honoring; to illuminate the darkness with the power of God’s light; to show the defeat of all things dark and evil; to celebrate the redemptive love of our Christ. And he delivered. My trust was well placed.

Which brings me back to those casual Christians I mentioned. I want them to trust me enough to pick up one of my books. My goal in writing my upcoming book series is to gain the reader’s trust through a well told story and compelling characters. And, in gaining their trust, I am hoping they will trust the truth of my story, the Story, the Truth that will shine through the machinations of my writing and cast light into their darkness. I hope to be honest with the reader; to use drama to illustrate truth and the evidence of the Christian worldview. In apologetics, I have learned that honesty often begets trust. When someone asks, “How can a good God allow children to suffer?” Instead of launching into a lecture, I agree with them. “You are right. It is a tough question to consider. I have difficulty understanding why this world is so full of suffering. But, I have been willing to ask that question openly and honestly of God and He has shown me some answers. Can I share them with you?”

Speculative fiction, as I am learning, is a new and exciting genre. I love science fiction and fantasy and the prospect of reading and writing stories from those genres that are steeped and soaked in a theistic worldview is so exciting to me. But, at the same time, we need to realize that speculative fiction has potential to cross boundaries and barriers between the world of the believer and the unbeliever and that is where, as you so astutely point out, we must build trust!

Darkness Follows by Mike Dellosso -- A Book Review, Wednesday, Day 3

2011-06-22T02:19:48Z

Today on Day 3, I want to review the strengths and weaknesses. Strong characters. Rapid paced action. Roller coaster ride. Hideous antagonists. Endangered children. I mentioned that all of these elements comprise the substance of “Darkness Follows” by Mike Dellosso.

Weaknesses:

It is hard for me to find concrete weaknesses in this book by Mike Dellosso. The apparent weaknesses for me were elements of the story that disturbed me personally. And, this is from an author who has a book coming out in October called “The 13th Demon” that was once deemed too dark and edgy for publication. So, to say that “Darkness Follows” bothered me says a lot.

Now, this is not a weakness of the book, per se. It is well written, fast paced with excellent character development. So, this seeming weakness may not be a weakness in the eyes of most readers. In fact, if the theistic worldview that runs a trace through the story were absent, this book would be right up there with the most powerful secular thrillers. That being said, it might be considered a weakness that this book is so disturbing. There are several gruesome murders. Symon is a cold hearted killer with no remorse. I read a post where Mike talked about getting complaints that he killed a groundhog in the story. All I can say is if that one death disturbed the reader more than the deaths of innocent human beings, then that person needs to reread the book!

And, as I mentioned, the endangerment of children concerned me. It is a personal bias on my part. I can’t watch shows like “Criminal Minds” when children are abducted and harmed. Some readers may find this too disturbing to read this book.

And, the one pivotal event in Sam Travis’ life is a very disturbing event for his family. I don’t want to divulge any details but I can see where it would be troubling for some readers.

So, if you regard these things as weaknesses then you would fall into the category of a reader who shouldn’t read a book with the title “Darkness Follows” because that is exactly what happens. The book begins in shadows in the distant past with Samuel Whiting and his experiences at Gettysburg and it moves into the shadows of Sam Travis’ family secrets and ends up in a confrontation between a father his daughter’s abductor and none of it is pretty.

Strengths:

But, having said what I did about weaknesses, if you stick with this story, you will find a very satisfying and redemptive ending. I do not want to spoil it, for that would be horrific of me, indeed. Mike Dellosso has soaked this story in the love of a father for his daughter; the love of a wife for her husband; the love of a daughter for her father; and a love for the Father for each of us. It is this thread of love, unbroken by the illness of Sam Travis; undaunted by Eva’s “imaginary friend”; and unspoken by Sam in his love for his family that pulls you through the darkness that falls.

Certainly, the story is rapid paced; a roller coaster ride of ups and downs; moments of quiet horror and explosive violence; and the backdrop of the horrors of the battle of Gettysburg. As I said, I could not put the book down. I read it voraciously and wished I had taken some more time to enjoy the story. But, I had to know why Sam was suddenly fascinated with his old rifle. I had to know why Sam was writing journal entries from a dead Union soldier. I had to find out why Symon was bent on abducting Eva; I had to find out who Eva’s imaginary friend was; I had to see if Molly would grow so frustrated with her husband, she would abandon him. I had to know about Sam’s past and what it was that happened so many years ago that fractured his family.

In summary, the weaknesses are in the eye of the reader. It may disturb some readers. But, beware! Once you get to the end of the second chapter, you will NOT be able to put it down! “Darkness Falls” is one enthralling read!

Darkness Follows by Mike Dellosso -- A Book Review, Tuesday, Day 2

2011-06-21T00:36:05Z

Currier & Ives Print of the Battle of Gettysburg

On Day 2 of my review of "Darkness Follows" I will talk about the plot. Pay attention to the image above. For a pivotal part of the plot involves events that took place during the Battle of Gettysburg.

“Darkness Follows” is more than just a title. It is the nature of the book. For, as you delve deeper into the story, darkness follows you and the story gets darker and darker and darker! Today, let me cover the plot and the storyline.

The first chapter begins right in the middle of the action right after a prologue that takes place during the battle of Gettysburg. Within a few pages, we are thrust into the strangely tilting world of Sam Travis. We learn of his recent injury that has impaired his thinking. We learn of the attack on his house by someone firing a gun although there is no evidence of the bullet. Immediately we see how deeply he is loved by his wife, Molly and his daughter, Eva and we learn very soon that Eva’s “invisible friend” is telling her to love and pray for her father. So, right off we realize that bad things are about to happen.

It doesn’t take long for Sam to find his old hunting rifle and try to shoot a critter in the backyard. We learn he hasn’t touched the gun in years and there is a very good reason for that. As the story unfolds, it is this incident from the past that burns with suspense in the background. The reader begins to realize that we may know what he did, but there is just enough blurring to his memories that we hope we are wrong!

Enter Symon, a hideous, amnesiac killer who takes out anyone standing in his way with a cold and numbing efficiency that chills the reader’s blood. And, right off we learn he has one goal in mind, to kidnap Eva. As I said on day one, this turn of events disturbed me greatly. I do not like stories in which children are endangered, hurt, or killed. This is not a statement against the quality of Mike’s writing or the direction of his story, for both are powerful. It is a personal bias. But, at this point, I was so hooked by Sam’s story and his apparent black out spells during which he recounted the events of a Union soldier’s experience at Gettysburg, that I could not possible put the book down. I had to KNOW what was going to happen. This is the power of Mike’s narrative. I literally could not put the book down until I reached the ending, gasping for breath; shocked and thrilled; and yes, a bit relieved although to his credit, Mike did not give us a tidy, saccharin ending. In fact, the final pages are so cryptic that I wonder if there is more to this story than is completely revealed and if we will read about the forces behind Symon in future books. I certainly hope so!

The story of Eva’s friendship with her “imaginary friend” was consistent and moving and it represents the redemptive element of this story. Certainly her love for her father and Molly’s devotion to her ailing husband provide the background for the unconditional love that is at the center of the theistic worldview.

In summary, a rapid paced plot with many turns and twists with characters you can’t wait to learn more about. A very, very good book! Disturbing, dark, violent in places, but ultimately redemptive.

On the third day, I’ll summarize the strengths and weakness of the book.

Darkness Follows by Mike Dellosso -- A Book Review, Monday, Day 1

2011-06-20T00:39:39Z

I don’t know how or when it happened, but sometime during my internship year my fellow physicians saddled me with the nickname “Groundhog”. Maybe it had to do with my strange behavior. But, then, all interns exhibited strange behavior born of sleepless nights, high levels of continual stress, and the molding and breaking of a human being with an M.D. into a doctor.

Speaking of groundhogs and strange behavior, it is time to review “Darkness Follows” by Mike Dellosso. This novel had a little bit of everything. Strange behavior, mysterious historical figures, conspiracies, cold blooded murders, an endangered child, and, yes, groundhogs. And, as odd as this combination seems, it fit nicely together in a book that moved at such a rapid pace, I could not read it fast enough!

I will break down my review of “Darkness Follows” into three days. On day one, let me talk about the characters. I love character driven fiction. One of my favorite writers, Michael Crichton, was unsurpassed in writing fast driven, engaging plots but to say his characters were two dimensional was a compliment! Mike Dellosso, on the other hand, has created believable, complex characters with great chemistry. The main character, Sam Travis is an enigma wrapped up in a mystery at first. But, it is the dissection of the tragedy that plagues him from his past that defines his struggle with recent brain damage. As the reader struggles to understand the strange behavior that befalls Sam, we learn more and more about a tragic event in the past that defines who he has become. Sam awakens one morning to the sound of voices and gunfire and a bullet crashes through the window in his living room, shattering it into a million shards of glass. His wife and the policeman who arrives are having trouble believing his story of gunfire and begin to wonder if the brain damage he has suffered has now moved into acting out bizarre and dangerous behavior.

Sam also struggles with doubts about his own sanity when he awakens from naps and finds the writings of a Union soldier with the name Samuel recounting the events of the battle at Gettysburg. The writing is in Sam’s own handwriting and he does not remember penning those words. When he spies the groundhog in his back yard and digs his old rifle out of the closet, the reader realizes we are in for a rough roller coaster ride of suspense. I found myself talking to the book, telling Sam to put the gun away, to ignore the letters, to stop listening to the voices that are telling him carry out a horrific and terrible deed. Mike Dellosso has indeed created a character I began to care about very much and I wanted to grab him by the shoulders, shake some sense into him and help him avoid the dangerous trap into which he is falling. But, as he relives a distant memory from his past; a defining moment in his life we learn of his troubled brother whose behavior became so bizarre he was locked in the basement in a cage made of two by fours, thus the disturbing images on the cover. But, I do not want to spill any more information and ruin the reader’s enjoyment of the unfolding suspense. Sam is truly a complex and believable character and I found myself rooting for his redemption.

His wife, Molly is a wonderful creation by the author. She conveys the real conflict between her desperate desire to help and encourage her husband with the real need of protecting their daughter. As Sam’s behavior grows more erratic and she finds the dead groundhog, the tension in her mind and heart is so real, you can feel it emanating from the page.

And, the daughter, Eva is a delight. Precocious, lovable, and devoted to her “imaginary” friend Joshua tries her best to plead with her father to listen to God. Her admonitions of love are almost heart breaking as she also tries to keep her father from his descent into darkness.

And, that is just the beginning of the story for soon we meet a very dark man, Symon, with an easy smile, a reassuring demeanor and a quick trigger finger. Soon, the bodies begin to pile up and this man is just as puzzled about his behavior as we are. Who is he? What is his role in Sam’s strange behavior? And, most disturbingly, why does he want to abduct the little girl?

Now, I must admit here that at this moment in the narrative, I became very disturbed. But, Mike Dellosso had created characters I simply could not turn my back on. I cared about them. I wanted to know why they were acting this way. I wanted to see Molly and Eva triumph over evil with their love for Sam. I couldn’t possibly abandon them in the midst of this heinous story for darkness indeed was falling. And, tomorrow, I will tell you why!

In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Diddy Wall Diddy

2011-06-10T16:20:46Z

I try and post on storypraxis each day, using it as my daily writing exercise. Check out their website www.storypraxis.com and my latest piece about Diddy Wall Diddy. Here it is in case you can't find your way across the creek!

We Can Swim It

Diddy Wall Diddy

Ain’t no Town

Ain’t no City

Just a little place called Diddy Wall Diddy

Norman was as red as a rooster’s comb from the sun and his eyes were squinched shut against the heat. I was sitting on the stump watching the Baldwin sisters splashing and frolicking in the deep end of the creek.

“They don’t even know we exist, Eli.” Norman said.

“I done told you I don’t care about girls.” I said. But, it weren’t the truth. When Missy Baldwin would look at me on the school bus it would make my belly button feel funny.

“You are lying like the Devil.” Norman wiped sweat from his brow.

I studied the girls splashing and swimming in the deep end of the creek we called Diddy Wall Diddy. Up behind us, a car passed over the bridge with a dry rattle and dust blossomed from the road. It rained down on Norman and me sitting in the shallow water. “This is stupid. I say let’s go get them.”

Norman glared at me, his sunburn growing hotter and pinker by the moment. “Those are mighty fine words for a coward. I dared you to kiss Missy just last week in the back of the school bus and you puked.”

My face now burned with embarrassment. I had eaten two hot dogs that day! “Well, Norman we are going to be in the fourth grade come September and I ain’t gonna wait no longer. I say let’s go get them. They are playing down there in the deep end knowing we are cowards.”

Norman swallowed and ran a dusty hand through his thin, black hair and nodded. “You know I don’t swim too well.”

“They know that, too.” I nodded at the girls. “But, we can swim it.”

He nodded and we both took a deep breath, walked into the cold, clear water and plunged into the depths. I kept my eyes open and watched a bream flash by me, watched the sand blossom up from the bottom of the creek. A deep chasm opened beneath and the dark waters of the creek pulled me down into their icy embrace. I floated over that chasm, fear making my heart gallop like a horse. Norman paused beside me, his cheeks puffed out and pointed straight ahead. I kicked and pulled with my hands and kept my eyes on the prize. Suddenly, the chasm rose up beneath us and I stood up. The water wasn’t but three feet deep! The Baldwin sisters floated there, eyes filled with mischief. Norman popped up beside me, spluttering and spewing water.

“It ain’t even deep here.” He coughed.

“Yeah, we can touch bottom.” I looked at Missy. “You tricked us.”

Missy smiled at me face all filled with freckles and her pigtails hanging down on her shoulders and she raised an eyebrow. “Bout time you boys learned to take a chance. What took you so long?”

Darth Vader Wants to Ride Star Tours?

2011-06-05T01:24:47Z

Watch this hilarious video of Darth Vader riding the new Star Tours attraction.

I rode the new attraction at Star Wars Weekends this past weekend and it was unbelievable!

Bash God All You Want -- He Still Amazes You!

2011-06-01T01:47:24Z

Just watch this amazing video of "The Arctic Light" and tell me there is no God!

No Heaven? -- An Answer for Hawking

2011-05-19T02:27:35Z

I received this email from my good friend, Chan.

Bruce

I

need your help. I met with these two college kids tonight who are atheists. They asked a question I couldn't answer. They wanted to know if a person could sin in heaven? I said no. Then they wanted to know if we still had free will in heaven? I said yes. but they said that since a person couldn't sin in heaven then that's not free will. And they wanted to know why didn't God create a universe like that to begin with? I told them I have to work on this one.

So, considering that Stephen Hawking has now pronounced there is no heaven, I sent this reply to Chan:

Chan, see what you think about this:

I know couples who have decided they do not want to have children. Their reasoning goes like this:

“Why would we want to bring an innocent child into a world of suffering and pain only to watch them grow up bitter and disillusioned and sit by as we die.”

And so, this couple decides not to have children.

On the other hand, I know couples who want to have a child. Their reasoning goes like this:

“I want to have a child who is innocent and filled with wonder and laughter and love. I want to watch that child grow and explore and create and laugh and love those around it. I want to teach that child about hope and purpose and destiny and maybe one day, that child will grow up to change the world and make it a better place.”

And so, this couple decides to have a child.

It is typical of human beings to always dwell on the negative. Executives at Disney World are well aware of this. They talk of two kids of “Moments”. Let’s say a father and mother are taking their child out of the Magic Kingdom after a long day of rides and shows and the child is disappointed and crying because all he really wanted to do was to see Mickey Mouse. They round the corner and there standing before them is Mickey. Mickey sees the unhappy child. He drops to one knee, opens his arms and the child runs into Mickey’s embrace. Mickey ignores all the other people waiting and holds onto this crying child until his tears turn to laughter. He pats the child on the head and this child will talk about this day as the happiest of his life. This known as a “Magic Moment”.

Unfortunately, the other kind of moment is far from magical. Once, I checked into a Disney hotel and gave the bell hop a tip. Unknown to me, I had accidentally given him the wrong tip and it was too little. He smiled and left the room. I immediately ran back out to get some ice and he was standing in the hall cursing and shouting at the top of his voice that the person in room so and so (my room) was a cheapskate! I felt dirty and guilty and it ruined my trip. It took me almost four days to get over it. This is known as a “Tragic Moment”.

Now, the sad fact is it takes 33 Magic Moments to offset 1 Tragic Moment. 33! We dwell on the bad and easily forget the good.

The first question we need to deal with is: Why would God create a universe with humans having free will when He already knows they are going to disobey Him and the universe will be filled with evil, pain, and suffering? What kind of a God would do that to us?

This reminds me of the parents who choose not to have a child because of the possibility of suffering. But, God knew full well that when he created this universe and created man and gave him free will, man would disobey him. Why would God do that? Because God, being the Creator, saw that although our perception is of a world full of evil, pain and suffering that, in fact, there was far more good than evil. God wanted to watch His creation flourish and love and grow and laugh and create and sing and write and romance and ponder at the stars and seek the answers to the universe’s mysteries and grow and discover its Creator. When God created the universe, He didn’t make it perfect, he made it GOOD and this is stated over and over in the first chapter of Genesis.

So, God saw that it was worth the price, worth the risk of how man would choose because even a broken universe that had the capacity for good was better than nothing at all. How do we know this? Because God had already created beings with free will. He had created the angels but they had a very specific reason for existence and that to be God’s messengers and servants. When a portion of the angels exercised their free will, a third rebelled against God and were cast out of heaven. These angels did not have the capacity for being creative. They could only obey and serve and worship God.

God wanted to create a being in His image. His image is one of love, self awareness, the capacity to create, the capacity to imagine, the ability to exercise free will; to choose. And, it is in that choice we see man’s greatest ability.

In order for man to truly be free to choose, there had to be a fitting alternative to a relationship with God. God had to allow Satan into the Garden. There was no partially protecting Adam and Eve from evil. That would short circuit true free will. So, God had to allow Satan in and had to wait as man chose to have the knowledge of good and evil and thus “sin” entered our existence.

Let me repeat that statement from above. God thought it was better to have a broken universe that had the capacity for good than to have nothing at all. He chose to have the child!

One problem I see with your questions is a faulty assumption on those asking. Sin cannot exist without free will. But, free will doesn’t automatically mean there will be sin. After all, Jesus exercised free will and face Satan and did not disobey God. In fact, throughout His entire existence, he did not disobey God. He did not “sin”. Jesus proved it was possible. The difference between Jesus and man was that man was born into sin. It is part of our spiritual DNA thanks to the Garden. Jesus was not born into sin. We are. We have no choice about living in a sinful, broken state. But, we do have a choice as to whether or not we want to continue to be ruled by disobedience, or “sin”. We can accept forgiveness from Christ and be reconciled to God through that forgiveness. And, although we will continue to fall into sin, sin is no longer our ruler. We are no longer slaves to sin. The book of Romans explains all of this.

So, the question about heaven is rather moot. Will there be free will in heaven? Yes. Doesn’t that mean there will be sin? No. Sin comes from our fallen state and can be traced back to the temptation of Satan in the Garden. Satan will not be in the new creation.

In Revelation we learn that God will do away with this universe and bring about a new heaven and earth. This new universe will have different laws of physics. For instance, the New Jerusalem described in Revelation cannot exist in our universe under our current laws of physics. There has to be new laws to allow it to exist as it is described.

Also, those of us who will be in heaven have already lived through a universe dominated by sin. Why would we want to choose to sin again? We spent all of out lives trying to get away from it! In fact, those who would fall back into sin, who have no desire to live for eternity in the presence of God will be somewhere else. They will not inhabit this new universe known as heaven. So, it is possible to have free will in heaven and not sin. We will not want to sin. We will have new laws of physics and new spiritual conditions. We will have escaped from a broken universe filled with sin. Satan will no longer be allowed to tempt us. Evil will not exist!

Think of it this way. Once you have almost drowned, you would never willingly throw yourself into the water and start breathing in. You avoid the water. Once we have achieved heaven, we will be spiritually different and the universe will be different and we will be incapable of “sinning”. We will be in the presence of God continually for all eternity. We will be happy and content and I believe we will continue to experience love and song and community and all those “good” things God created the first universe to have.

The Ale Boy's Feast by Jeffrey Overstreet -- A Book Review

2011-05-16T02:19:45Z

My life is much paler than I ever realized. I have just finished reading “The Ale Boy’s Feast” by Jeffrey Overstreet. Normally, I do a three day review, but honestly I can only do a one day review because there is a huge hole in my life for not having read the first two books in this series. I cannot do the book review justice with a reading only of the final book. In fact, I had a hard time following all of the “threads” of a story that is so rich, so colorful, and so filled with fascinating characters. I will be reading this book again once I have read the first two books in the series. It is THAT good!

So, as someone who has missed out on Jeffrey Overstreet’s books, where do I begin in reviewing this book? How do I find words for the intricately woven story that is “The Ale’s Boy Feast”?

First, the characters. There isn’t a single, two dimensional, boring character anywhere in this world. Each character you meet is fascinatingly complex and real. And, as a reader, I feel like I barely scratch the surface of these characters. There is “Rescue” or the ale boy who returns from near death after a meeting with the “Northchildren” and whose destiny is far greater than his humble status.

There is Cal-Raven, the hope for the new king of the shattered remains of the House Abascar, thought to be lost to his wandering and scattered people. He nobly pursues the rescue of Auralia, the mysterious woman who weaves color into a world of grays and darkness.

Jordam, a beastman who changes before our very eyes in a powerful story of redemption. Ryllion, a disgraced captain of the guard and a villain who ends up becoming a reluctant ally of the man he should kill.

Soro and his fantastic kites! Scharr Ben Fay, a mysterious wandering mage with great wisdom. The Seers. Deathweed! What wonderful creations in an intricately created world that is believable and unique in the world of fantasy.

But, the real star of this book is the writing! It is lyrical and poetic and filled with color and emotions and sounds and tastes. I found reading “The Ale Boy’s Feast” literally a feast! Some passages, I would read over and over and let the words roll around on my tongue and bounce around inside my head. For instance this passage about the “Northchildren”:

“In their candlelit circle, the Northchildren watched a strand of cloudgrasper trees stretch, soak in sunlight, raise arms and hands in praise, hum with the blood of sap, tremble with birds.”

Or, this passage about Soro, the old man who makes kites:

“Sometimes they fly off on their own, but eventually they fall and break. He runs after them, puts them back together. He says they’re humbler after they’re repaired.”

Indeed, what a simple picture of redemption!

I also found it amazing how Jeffrey Overstreet deftly wove truth into the narrative. The decline of the Aerial, once great and wise mages, came slowly over the years under the relentless change in their worldview and the onset of apathy. Here, in this passage, Scharr Ben Fay is describing to an acolyte how his order changed:

“Authority. It’s strange, isn’t it? The Aerial teach that there is no trustworthy truth. There is only argument for the sake of distraction. All is meaningless, chaotic, accidental. So, why teach at all? And where does this authority come from? I tell you, the Seers’ questions are devouring the mages’ minds the way rot-eaters hollow our trees.”

This is so true of our culture today as our own secular “Seers” proclaim there is no such thing as truth. And, the downfall of the great kingdoms in this book are indeed due to the “rot” of the lies of the Seers.

The ongoing mystery is the identity of the “Keeper” who appears in dreams and inspires many to do good. Auralia, the woman who started the story is spoken of:

“All of us know what she offered. She invited us to a world of forgotten colors, a fulfillment of our longings. Everything she made, from candles to kites . . . all she touched, from stockings to stones . . . began to speak to us of what is possible. She said she was sent by the Keeper.”

I cannot do justice to the power and majestic scope of this story. The imagery is staggering. The surprises come so fast at the end, but, oh how, satisfying these surprises are! Jeffrey Overstreet has woven a powerful tale with his many colorful threads. His world, in my opinion, is as immersive as Middle Earth or Narnia. And, I hated to see the story come to an end. For me, however, there is the treat of reading the first two books and then returning to this story with the perspective of these wonderful characters.

As I said, having not read the first two books, I had very difficult time keeping track of over a dozen or so different characters whose story threads all converge in a pleasing and satisfying tapestry. Therefore, it is hard for me to articulate a simple summary of the narrative. I strongly recommend reading the first two books and then coming to this one. To try and read this book by itself is to do the author disservice. The beauty of this book and its compelling story demands the reader spend time with Auralia and her colors!

Check out Jeffrey's lecture on story and film at this link: http://vimeo.com/14969953

Book link - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/9781400074686

Author’s web site - http://lookingcloser.org/fiction/

Participants' Links:

http://ofbattlesdragonsandswordsofadamant.blogspot.com/"> Gillian Adams
http://tessbissell.wordpress.com/"> Red Bissell
http://www.splashdownreviews.blogspot.com"> Grace Bridges
http://rbclibrary.wordpress.com/"> Beckie Burnham
http://morganlbusse.wordpress.com"> Morgan L. Busse
http://valeriecomer.com/"> Valerie Comer
http://csffblogtour.com/"> CSFF Blog Tour
http://sjdeal.blogspot.com"> Shane Deal
http://thescatteredstones.blogspot.com/"> Chris Deane
http://in--and--out.blogspot.com/"> Cynthia Dyer
http://www.povbootcamp.com"> Andrea Graham
http://cloakanddaggerfiction.blogspot.com"> Katie Hart
http://realmofhearts.blogspot.com/"> Ryan Heart
http://www.spoiledfortheordinary.blogspot.com/"> Jason Joyner
http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/"> Carol Keen
http://www.momofkings.com"> Dawn King
http://inaekyo.blogspot.com/"> Inae Kyo
http://www.shannonmcdermott.com/?page_id=189"> Shannon McDermott
http://shenandoahdawn.blogspot.com/"> Shannon McNear
http://www.disturbingreviews.blogspot.com"> Karen McSpadden
http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/"> Rebecca LuElla Miller
http://www.questwriter.blogspot.com/"> Eve Nielsen
http://www.leastread.blogspot.com/"> John W. Otte
http://www.sarahsawyer.com/blog"> Sarah Sawyer
http://reviewsfromtheheart.blogspot.com/"> Kathleen Smith
http://www.mindsinger.com/"> Donna Swanson
http://www.rachelstarrthomson.com/inklings/"> Rachel Starr Thomson
http://www.epictales.org/blog/robertblog.php"> Robert Treskillard
http://christiansf.blogspot.com/"> Steve Trower
http://frederation.wordpress.com"> Fred Warren
http://www.fantasyandfaith.com"> Dona Watson
http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/"> Phyllis Wheeler